Protect yourself: ensure you have working smoke alarms

If a fire occurred in your home, would your smoke alarms work?
If you even hesitated about saying yes, then you need to give your head a shake. Don't wait for a fire to find out whether or not your alarms are functioning properly.
The recent fatal fire on Davidson Street in St. Catharines is the latest example of a fatality where no smoke alarms appeared to be present. You would think that would be a stark reminder, and a harsh message, to residents across the city, but sadly it's not. Even right there, in the neighbourhood the fatal fire happened, there were still homes that had no smoke alarms even days after it happened. These were the same people who gathered that chilly Sunday afternoon and watched in shock as smoke billowed from the home, and word spread that the occupant and her dogs didn't make it out alive.The St. Catharines Fire Service did a great job by canvassing the neighbourhood, and installing smoke alarms in 10 properties, but they shouldn't have had to. Or, better yet, instead of charging them $15 for the alarms, the property owners should have been fined for non-compliance. This is law folks — you need a smoke alarm on every level of your home, and outside sleeping areas.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, from 2007 to 2011 there was no smoke alarm warning in 32 per cent of residential fires in Ontario. That simply isn't acceptable since they became required on every storey of dwellings in March 2006.
To break that down further, there was no smoke alarm in 17 per cent of the households, while they didn't operate in the other 15 per cent due to either having no battery or power, or tampering, or other reasons.
In my opinion, it's almost as if a dead unit is even worse than having none at all. It can give you a false sense of security.
The fact is, most fatal fires occur at night when people are asleep. Often, victims never wake up. A working smoke alarm will detect smoke and sound an alarm to alert you, giving you precious time to escape.
You need to not only purchase enough alarms for your home, but also install them in the appropriate places and most importantly, test your smoke alarm regularly — the Fire Marshal's Public Fire Safety Council suggests once a month. Change the batteries throughout the year, as well. An easy way to remember is to change your smoke alarm batteries when you change the clocks in the spring and fall.
The stories we hear, such as the family who "barely got out the door" of their home just before Christmas, make me shake my head. This simple device often may be the only thing standing between your family and tragedy. It's not just a good idea to have one, but it's the law.
It's also best to educate everyone in your home about what to do in the event of a fire. They should recognize the sound of the smoke alarm and know their home fire escape plan. Know two ways out of every room and have a pre-arranged meeting place outside. And once you're out, stay out.
The fire prevention offices across Niagara are always open to questions and supporting residents to ensure they're prepared in the event of a fire. Don't hesitate to reach out and ask about anything from smoke alarms to home escape planning. One of the best protections is prevention.